Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati was administered the oath of office as the 39th Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on Wednesday. He takes over from Justice Sanjeev Kumar, who had been fulfilling the responsibilities of Acting Chief Justice.
The oath was tendered to Justice Bhati by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, who is currently handling the duties of the J&K Lieutenant Governor in the absence of LG Manoj Sinha.
The official investiture ceremony was held at the convention centre of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) in Kashmir. The event saw the presence of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, several cabinet ministers, fellow High Court judges, and other senior officials.
Justice Bhati’s appointment followed a recommendation by the Supreme Court Collegium on August 31 for his elevation to the chief justiceship. Shortly thereafter, the Ministry of Law and Justice issued an official notification detailing his appointment, which was made by the President under the authority granted by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India. Following this notification, the Central government gave its final approval for his appointment to the top judicial post.
Prior to this new role, Justice Bhati was a judge at the Rajasthan High Court, having been elevated to that bench on November 16, 2016. Born on September 21, 1970, he possesses a strong academic record, which includes a BA, LL.B., an LL.M. in Mercantile Law, and a PhD. He initially enrolled as an advocate in 1992.
Throughout his legal career, Justice Bhati has cultivated diverse expertise across numerous domains, including Writ Jurisdiction (covering both Service and Miscellaneous matters), Revenue, Election, Mining, Education, Panchayati Raj, Criminal cases, and Public Interest Litigation. He built a broad practice handling a variety of cases within these fields at the Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur.
He served as an elected member of the Bar Council of Rajasthan between 2009 and 2015. Additionally, he held the position of President of the Rajasthan High Court Lawyers Association from 2011 to 2013 and previously served as General Secretary of the Rajasthan High Court Advocates Association in 2001.
Justice Bhati is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Indian Law Institute (Rajasthan Chapter) and has maintained his membership with the Supreme Court Bar Association continuously since 1992.
